# Is "Plenty" by David Hare a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Plenty by David Hare (Faber & Faber, 1978) is identified by: Faber & Faber, London, 1978. UK Faber 1978 is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Faber & Faber, London, 1978
- Copyright page states 'First published in 1978 by Faber and Faber'; issued in wrappers, with a scarcer hardcover-in-cloth state
- Premiered at the Lyttelton, National Theatre, in April 1978
- Per Faber convention the first printing carries no later-printing line
- Publisher imprint reads Faber & Faber
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | David Hare |
| Publisher | Faber & Faber |
| Year | 1978 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Faber & Faber, London, 1978 |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Faber & Faber, London, 1978. Copyright page states 'First published in 1978 by Faber and Faber'; issued in wrappers, with a scarcer hardcover-in-cloth state. Premiered at the Lyttelton, National Theatre, in April 1978. Per Faber convention the first printing carries no later-printing line.

## Is this the true first?
UK Faber 1978 is the true first. US editions followed; an early US issue appeared via Nelson Doubleday, and the New American Library/Plume paperback came in 1983. The hardcover-in-cloth state is scarcer than the wrappers issue.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Faber 'David Hare Plays' collected volumes and later reissues carrying number lines are not the first. No book-club issue.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Plenty* by David Hare a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/plenty
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-04.